Positivity

April 30, 2018

Sometimes my commitment to only use social media as a means of publicly giving thanks, writing only affirmatively, and eschewing negativity can be hard. At times, it feels like I’m taking a Pollyanna view of life, ignoring the real issues that face us as a nation, or as believers in Jesus Christ. I read posts with which I agree, and those with which I disagree, and inside, I want to share or comment on them. After all, the conservative viewpoint is under attack and often branded as hate speech and blocked.

Shouldn’t I stand for what I believe? Of course I should, but I always have to remind myself that on social media, most everyone is preaching to the choir, and doesn’t want to actually have conversation on the issues. It is easier to attack and ridicule the writer than to actually consider what he or she has to say and entertain the possibility that there might be more to an issue than what I (or they) see. 

For quite a few months awhile back, I had a running conversation with someone whose political and social opinions are quite different than mine. When she posted something sarcastically critical of our First Lady, I simply asked if tearing someone down made her feel any better. I was told that she would post anything she wanted, and then accused of attacking her. Later, when I asked for her definition of socialism and fascism because I was sincerely interested in how she used the terms, I found myself blocked. I feel bad; I genuinely wanted to understand her reasoning, but my inquiry was taken as an attack. 

The issues are still there; as a nation, we are polarized to a degree I’ve never experienced before, and instead of fixing the problems, everyone seems to be more interested in fixing blame. It’s easier that way; solving problems actually requires that we work together; blaming others allows us the easy path of imagining we are actually accomplishing something instead of actually doing so.

So, I’ll keep writing about the good I see in life, like the 80 year old volunteers who delivered a van full of groceries to the food pantry today, or the woman who has given so much of herself that she is wondering who she is if she’s not doing something. There are the (mostly) women who give of themselves week after week, tirelessly serving those who come to us needing groceries, or the man serving as pastor to a small rural congregation who came to have communion elements blessed so he could administer the sacraments Sunday. When I got home, my wife was digging in the garden despite the pain in her shoulder. The house was clean and neat. We sat in the sun on the patio and had coffee together as we talked of the day. 

I could go on. There is more than enough negativity in the world. It lies on the surface where anyone passing by can pick it up and hold it close. Joy and affirmation, peace, gratitude, and love are often a bit harder to find. Like diamonds, they don’t sit on the surface of life; they must be sought, but we have the promise of Jesus that “those who seek shall find.” That’s good enough for me. Today, I sought...and found!